This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Ah, but for his thirst for root beer, this alleged drug dealer might still be pedaling crystal methamphetamine. Instead, he can only hope A&W is on tap at the Davis County jail.
About 9 a.m. Monday, Davis County Sheriff's Deputy Chris Pope had stopped at a gas station convenience store when he noticed a furtive customer, striving mightily to avoid eye contact with him as he purchased the root beer.
When Pope returned to his cruiser, he ran the man's license plate only to learn he was driving on a revoked license. Pope pulled him over, and when asked for his license the suspect could only produce a U.S. passport.
Detained for driving without a valid license, the deputy then found $1,000 in cash in the suspect's pockets. A subsequently inventory of the man's car also turned up several baggies and a scale with white powder on it.
Then, seeing something floating in the root beer the suspect had just purchased, Pope discovered another baggy — this one with crystals inside that later tested positive for methamphetamine.
The 20-year-old suspect was arrested and booked into jail, where he remained Tuesday without bail on suspicion of possessing illegal drugs with intent to distribute.
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